When I read Wishing a couple months ago, I loved Zach Fairbourne as a secondary character, and I could hardly wait to read his own story. Moonlight is that story, and to be honest, it’s a bit disappointing. While I enjoyed the charming setting, I never really connected with the characters.

Amelie Lacroix is the owner of a fashionable dress shop, specializing in luxurious clothes for the wealthy ladies of Boston. One night when she attends a customer’s wedding, she meets Captain Zach Fairbourne, and the two share a kiss in the moonlight. Amelie is a twenty-five year old spinster who has been raised to keep men at an arm’s length, so she is appalled at her own behavior, and hopes she will never see Zach again. The next day he arrives at her shop to pick up a muff for his sister-in-law, and the sparks begin to fly.

As a carefree seaman, Zach has never seriously considered marriage, and he can’t understand why he feels so protective of the independent Amelie. Then Amelie’s shop is vandalized, and she begins receiving threatening notes. Zach is furious, and wants to help Amelie combat her unknown enemy. But Amelie will have none of it – she is afraid word about the vandalism will reach her customers and she’ll be forced out of business. Besides, she can hardly fight her attraction to Zach, which scares her. Amelie must come to terms with her own past, and perhaps give up some of her hard-won independence, if she and Zach are to have a future together.

One of the major attractions of Miranda Jarrett’s books are the charming, original settings, and Moonlight doesn’t disappoint in this area. It’s set in Boston in 1721, and the reader can really feel the flavor of the day. Jarrett highlights the anti-French sentiment that was prevalent at the time, and paints an accurate picture of the difficulties faced by an unmarried businesswoman. Jarrett fans may find this book worthwhile for the setting alone.

Unfortunately, the characters didn’t quite live up to their vividly depicted environment. Zach was wonderful in Wishing, and although I liked him here, he somehow seemed less alive. Amelie was even harder to warm up to. Jarrett’s novels often feature independent heroines who struggle with the concept of surrendering to love, but it didn’t quite work here. Amelie’s shop was vandalized and her life was threatened, yet she refused Zach’s help again and again, and became furious with him when she discovered he had a man watching the shop. This behavior continued almost until the end of the book, and it just seemed hard to credit. By the end, Amelie seemed more foolish and deluded than independent.

Jarrett fans may want to read this one in spite of its flaws, just so they won’t miss a link on what will likely be a long chain. They may find that the well-researched setting makes up for the flaws in the characterization. But if you haven’t read Jarrett, this isn’t really the place to start. Her talents are better showcased in other books, most notably the recent Wishing.